The Heart of Auradon: A Descendants One-Shot
by NYC Hell Butterfly
Summary: This one-shot was written in tribute to Cameron Boyce, the actor who played Carlos in "The Descendants." In this story, Carlos has suddenly passed away. The people closest to him react and must find a way to cope with this loss. Heavily featuring Mal, Jay, Evie, Ben, and Jane, with appearances by many others.


**THE HEART OF AURADON**

_**A/N: **__This fic was written as a tribute to Cameron Boyce. I hope it helps bring his fans some comfort in a very difficult time. Rest in Peace, Cameron. Thanks for bringing _Carlos_ to life. Your legacy will never be forgotten._

_**JAY**_

He woke up to the sound of Dude whimpering. The dog had jumped into his bed and was clearly trying to get his attention. Jay swatted him away, too groggy to be bothered.

"Jay!" Dude finally said. Sometimes, Jay _really _hated that Mal had accidentally spelled the dog to talk. "Something's wrong."

"Go tell _Carlos_," Jay mumbled.

"But it _is _Carlos... Something's wrong with him. I can't wake him up."

Jay was more alert now. "Carlos..." He called. He got out of his bed and walked over to his roommate's. Carlos lay there looking like he was sleeping peacefully, but he was too still. Jay was no stranger to death. He'd seen enough of it on the Isle of the Lost... But he couldn't process what he was seeing. His brain knew Carlos was dead, but his heart refused to accept that.

Jay shook his head. He walked out of the room, refusing to look back even as Dude called after him, "Jay! Where are you _going? Help_ him!"

He kept walking, not sure where he was heading. He ignored the few people who tried to say hello to him. He kept going until he found a secluded storage room no one ever used, and only then did he start hitting the wall. He repeated this over and over, his rage the only thing that made sense to him. His best friend... His _brother... _He _couldn't _be dead. It didn't make any sense, but the holes he put into the wall with his fist made _perfect _sense to him, so he continued to focus on them instead.

_**FAIRY GODMOTHER**_  
She was going about her busy morning when Dude unexpectedly came running toward her. "Fairy Godmother, help! Something's wrong with Carlos!" Dude said.

Fairy Godmother stared at him in surprise. "I'm sorry... Did you just... _speak?" _She asked.

"Oh, um... I mean... um... _Woof?"_ Dude replied.

She shook her head. "We can deal with that later. What's wrong, Boy?" She asked.

Dude ran off, so she followed him. He led her straight to Carlos and Jay's dorm room. Since the door was open, she walked inside. Jay was nowhere to be seen, but Carlos was in his bed. She approached him cautiously as Dude whimpered and nudged his hand with his nose.

"Oh, dear me... No... No, no, how can this _be?" _Fairy Godmother asked aloud. She checked his wrist for a pulse, just in case he was in an enchanted slumber, but there was none. Carlos was gone. Sweet, gentle Carlos, her precious daughter Jane's beloved boyfriend... How was this possible?

Dude whimpered again. Fairy Godmother's heart broke. "I'm so sorry, Dude," she said, gently petting the dog. "Carlos has passed away."

"Passed away?" Dude repeated. He stopped speaking then, simply crying and refusing to leave his beloved friend's side.

Fairy Godmother pulled the covers up to cover his face. She then walked out of the room and closed the door before calling on the school's guards.

"Something tragic has happened," she informed them. "One of our students passed away in his sleep. Guard this room and do not let anyone in without my consent... And if Jay comes back, call me _immediately."_

"Of course, Fairy Godmother," the head guard promised.

She took a deep breath to compose herself before heading to her office. She turned to her secretary and said, "I need you to bring King Ben to my office immediately. If you see Mal, Evie, Jay, or my daughter, please detain them and let them know I'll need to speak with them shortly. Whatever you do, do _not _let them go to Carlos and Jay's dorm room."

"What happened, Fairy Godmother? And why wasn't Carlos included on that list?" The secretary asked.

Fairy Godmother shook her head. "Carlos passed away in his sleep last night. I need to be the one to tell the children, but as our King, Ben should know first. I think he'll want to be there when I break the news."

"Oh no! How did this happen?"

"I'm not certain. I'll have that investigated, but it appears to have been natural."

The secretary quickly set off to gather the students, and Fairy Godmother tried to prepare herself for the unthinkable task awaiting her.

_**BEN**_  
He wasn't surprised to be summoned to Fairy Godmother's office. As the King, Ben was called upon frequently for a lot of different things. When he stepped inside and saw her face, however, he knew something was wrong.

"You called for me, Fairy Godmother?" He asked.

She managed to offer him a very sad smile. "My King... Something very tragic has happened, and I felt it best that you be the first to know," she said.

Ben swallowed nervously before nodding. "What is it, Fairy Godmother?" He asked.

"A student at the school passed away in his sleep last night."

He stared at her in shock. "What? How? Who was it?"

"It appears to have been natural causes... My King..." Her voice cracked. "_Ben... _It was Carlos."

For a moment, Ben couldn't process her words. "No... That's... That's impossible," he said stubbornly.

"Dude came and found me. I'm afraid I'm certain."

"Dude..." He struggled to accept what she was telling him. "Where's Jay?"

"I don't know. I fear the boy may be in shock. The door to the dorm room was open when I followed Dude back. Jay was nowhere in sight."

Ben closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As the person who'd brought the villain kids over from the Isle, Ben felt responsible for all of them. Now, one of them was dead. How was he going to tell Mal and Evie? The original four kids from the Isle shared a bond that went deeper than friendship. They wouldn't handle this news.

He was the King of Auradon. He was responsible for many things and had to be a strong leader in the face of hardship... But telling his girlfriend and her best friends that someone they all loved was dead was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

"Does Jane know?" He asked softly.

"No... I sent for her as well... This is going to break my poor girl's heart..." Fairy Godmother replied sadly.

Ben nodded. "I'll help you tell her if you need me to," he promised.

"No... I think I need to talk to her alone. The children from the Isle, however..." She let the sentence trail off.

"I'll tell them," Ben said.

"We'll tell them together."

He nodded again. "Okay..." He paused. "Fairy Godmother?"

"Yes, Ben?"

"Can you... Can you call my parents?" He asked softly.

"Of course," she said with a reassuring and sympathetic expression on her face.

She left briefly to make the call. Ben struggled to process what had happened so he could be strong for everyone else when the time came.

Fairy Godmother returned. "They're on their way," she told him.

Ben nodded. A few minutes later, the door to her office opened. Mal and Evie stood together. As usual, his heart reacted to seeing Mal, but this time it hurt.

"Hey, Ben!" Mal said cheerfully. "Fairy Godmother, you wanted to see us?"

Ben hated knowing he was about to wipe the smile from her face. "Mal... Evie... Something's happened," he began.

"Why so serious, Ben?" Evie asked a bit nervously.

"Girls... Please sit down," Fairy Godmother said gently.

Evie automatically sat. Mal tensed. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Mal... Sit," Ben said. "_Please."_

"No, thank you," Mal said stubbornly. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's... It's about Carlos, Mal," Ben said gently.

"What? What is it? Just _tell me, _Ben."

"He... This morning, Dude brought Fairy Godmother to his room and... And he..." Ben struggled, but looking into the eyes of the woman he loved, he couldn't finish that sentence. He looked to Fairy Godmother in desperation.

"He passed away in his sleep... I'm so sorry, Girls," Fairy Godmother said.

Evie covered her mouth in horror. "There... There must be some mistake," she said. "Right? There _has _to be... A-are you _sure?"_

"I'm sure, Evie. I checked him myself."

"No..." Evie whispered. She began crying openly. Evie tended to wear her heart on her sleeve. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing harder with every passing second. Fairy Godmother knelt beside her and began rubbing her upper back soothingly.

"Mal..." Ben said.

Mal's face had turned unreadable. Her jaw locked hard into place and she stared straight ahead. There was no emotion in her eyes. "Where's Jay?" She finally asked.

"We don't know," Ben said. "Fairy Godmother thinks he ran off."

"Fine. I'll go find him."

"Mal-"

"Take care of E," she said coldly. She walked quickly out the door.

"Mal!" Ben called. He started to walk after her.

Fairy Godmother gently touched his arm. "Ben... Let her go. She needs time," she said.

He nodded. "Evie... If you need _anything, _I'm here," he said softly.

"I need _Carlos," _she replied between sobs. Even still, when Ben tried to hug her, she allowed it.

He looked at Fairy Godmother. "I've got her," he promised. "Can you send for Doug?" He added softly, figuring Evie needed her boyfriend.

"Of course," Fairy Godmother replied. She left them for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Evie... He was a great guy," Ben said soothingly as he continued to hold his sobbing friend.

"He really was..." She replied softly. She tried to wipe her tears away, but more came. "My mother would be so disappointed... I've absolutely _ruined_ my makeup..."

"This is a good reason," Ben reassured her.

She nodded before blowing her nose. Finally, she rested her head on his shoulder and tried to compose herself.

By the time Doug came in, his eyes were red. Ben knew Fairy Godmother had told him what happened. He stayed remarkably strong for Evie. She took one look at him and flung herself into his arms, crying all over again.

"Thanks for looking after her, Ben," Doug said. "I've got her from here."

Ben nodded. "Call me if you guys need anything," he said.

"We will," Doug promised. "Come on, Evie. Let's go somewhere quiet."

"Thanks, Ben," Evie said softly before allowing Doug to lead her away.

Finally alone, Ben allowed himself to cry.

_**JANE**_  
She was surprised when her mother met her in the hallway and led her back to her dorm room. "Mom... What's going on?" Jane asked. "I have a thousand and one things to do today, between preparing for exams and planning the next school event and-"

"Hush, my Young One," her mother said gently.

It was then that Jane realized how red her mother's eyes were. "Mom... Have you been _crying?" _She asked in surprise.

"I have, my precious one..." Her mother sighed. "There's something I have to tell you... And it's not going to be easy."

"Just tell me, Mom. Whatever it is, it'll be okay."

"Oh, Jane... I _wish_ it were that easy..."

"Mom... You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart... I'm _so _sorry." Her mother paused, taking a deep breath. "It's Carlos. Something happened."

"What do you mean something happened? Is he okay?"

"No, my precious one... He's not."

"Well, where _is _he? Is he hurt? Can I help? I should gather some of his favorite things to cheer him up-"

"Jane..." Her mother shook her head.

"Mom... _Please... _Tell me what happened." Fear was starting to consume her. It was clear how serious this was.

"He's gone, my sweet girl..."

"Gone? Gone _where?" _She had to ask, because her first thought had been impossible. Her mother couldn't mean...

"He passed away, my dear one... In his sleep... I am _so _sorry..."

Jane might have replied, but she couldn't form words. She couldn't even breathe. She was incredibly dizzy, and suddenly, she dropped her books all over the floor just before everything went black.

When Jane awoke, she was tucked into her bed. Her mother sat beside her, stroking her head gently.

"Mom..." She said softly. "Did... Did that _really _happen?"

"Yes, little one... I'm sorry. It's real," her mother replied sadly.

"But... But _how?" _She managed to ask. "He was _fine _yesterday..."

"I'm not sure, but I didn't sense any magic and there were no signs of any trauma... Sometimes, these things just happen."

"But he's... He _was_..." Jane shook her head. She couldn't speak about him in the past tense. That made it real. She wasn't quite ready to accept that this was real yet.

"I know, my poor girl... I wish I could wave my wand and make this all just a bad dream, but there's no magic that can change this."

Jane was crying now. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and held her close.

"But I... I _love_ him..." Jane whispered.

"And I know he loved you," her mother replied.

Jane's heart broke more at the use of the past tense. She couldn't bring herself to say anything else, so she merely cried in her mother's arms.

_**LONNIE**_  
She was walking through the hallway when Mal stormed by her. "Mal? Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Have you seen Jay?" Mal asked instead of answering her.

"No, why? Is something wrong?"

"Carlos is dead. Jay's missing. Other than that, everything's _fine."_

Lonnie stared at her in shock. "D-did you say that Carlos is...?"

"Dead? Yeah." Her tone was cold.

"I don't understand... How? What happened?"

"He went to sleep and never woke up. What's not to understand? I need to find Jay before he does anything stupid."

"Mal... Are you okay? Have you let yourself process this yet?"

"I'm _fine. _I'm a _villain kid. _Bad things happen to us _all _the time. Whatever. We move on. _Where _is Jay?"

"I really don't know."

"Some girlfriend _you_ are. Whatever. I'll find him myself." She stormed off.

Lonnie took a deep breath and tried not to take Mal's words personally. The girl had just lost one of her best friends and was clearly not letting herself grieve. Lonnie knew she was lashing out because she was in pain.

"Oh, Carlos..." She said sadly. She shook her head and allowed herself to cry as her own grief sank in.

After a few minutes, Lonnie knew she needed to try to find Jay. He _had _to be freaking out. She called his cell phone, but wasn't surprised when he didn't answer it.

"Where _are you, _Jay?" She wondered aloud. She tried to think like him. Suddenly, it came to her. Lonnie ran off toward a secluded part of the school where Jay often went to clear his head when he was stressed out.

She could hear the sound of something hitting the wall in a steady, sad rhythm. Lonnie opened the door to the supply closet and found Jay punching the wall over and over again.

"Jay..." She said softly.

He ignored her, punching the wall again. "_Jay," _she called more urgently.

Mal appeared behind her. "Move," she told Lonnie.

Lonnie stepped aside and watched Mal send a bit of magic at Jay. He didn't react. Mal walked toward him and grabbed him, slamming his back hard against the wall opposite the one he'd been punching.

"Mal?" Jay asked softly in confusion.

"You're bleeding, Jay," Mal pointed out. She wrapped his hand in a cloth she manifested and tried to stop the bleeding.

"Mal... Carlos..." Jay tried to say.

"I know. Ice your hand before it swells to the size of a castle." She looked at Lonnie. "Take him somewhere else," she said.

Lonnie nodded. Mal left, and Lonnie moved closer to examine Jay's hand. "Jay... How long were you punching that wall?" She asked.

"A while," Jay replied.

"Let me clean it up and disinfect it... This might hurt a bit." There was a first aid kit in the supply closet, so she pulled out an antiseptic spray. "This might sting a little..." She sprayed his hand.

"It doesn't hurt," Jay said softly. "I don't feel _anything _right now."

"I'm so sorry, Jay. I know you were such close friends."

"_Brothers," _he said. "We were brothers." He shook his head. "I couldn't save him, Lonnie... I slept a few feet away while he just... _died. _And when Dude tried telling me something was wrong, I tried to brush it off." He cursed and hit the wall again.

"Jay! Stop doing that. Hurting yourself won't help," Lonnie said.

"It makes me feel better... For a second... Because I don't even _know_ what I'm feeling, but I'm _really _mad, and punching stuff helps with the anger."

Lonnie wrapped her arms around him. He stopped trying to beat up the wall and automatically held her.

"Lonnie..." He said softly. "He's _gone_... And I don't like this feeling. What is it? I _hate_ it..."

She felt his tears land on her shoulder. "It's _grief, _Jay... It's like sadness, but deeper. And it's normal to hate it." She shifted so she could kiss one of his tears off of his cheek.

Jay pulled her closer and kissed her lips. Lonnie blushed slightly, but she kissed him back. It seemed to soothe them both.

"That... I'd _much _rather feel _that," _Jay said after releasing her.

"Me, too," Lonnie admitted.

"But... I can't just shut everything else out, right? Mal and Evie... They need me."

"They do," Lonnie agreed.

"Lonnie..."

"Yes, Jay?"

"My hand hurts. Like, a _lot."_

"Come on... We'll go put ice on it." She stepped out of the storage closet and led Jay away.

_**EVIE**_  
She had cried herself to sleep in Doug's arms as they sat on a bench outside beneath the sun. Now, Evie began to stir. Doug was still holding her.

"This is nice," Evie admitted as she shifted so she could stretch.

"I didn't want to wake you... You were so exhausted," Doug said, blushing slightly.

"It's okay... I like being held. The Isle's not really a _huggy_ place..." She paused thoughtfully. "I guess we were all pretty starved for affection."

She thought about Carlos and her heart ached, but she managed not to turn hysterical this time. He'd always been a sweet kid... Too sweet for the Isle of the Lost. If Mal hadn't taken a liking to the kid, he never would have survived growing up in that place.

They had all played their roles. Mal was a born leader, and she could scheme her way out of almost anything. She had protected her friends fiercely, even from their own parents sometimes.

Evie had been proud to be her only close female friend. She might have the heart of a fairy tale princess on the inside, but on the outside, she could be very tough when she needed to be. She made sure that Mal's plans were executed well and even improved them where she could. For a long time, Evie had hidden how smart she was, but it often came in handy on the Isle.

Jay had been the toughest kid in town and he was swift on his feet. He was an excellent enforcer and very few people had dared to cross him. Those who did never tried a second time.

Then, there had been Carlos. He was clever and funny, and he was the one the others could always turn to when they were having a bad day. Sure, he was skittish and a bit of a scaredy cat at times, but no one blamed him. Growing up with Cruella De Vil for a mother hadn't exactly been a picnic... But he had a big heart, and it endeared him to the others. They'd all sworn to protect him the best they could because he was the sort of kid who _deserved _to be protected.

Now, he was gone. In an instant, the sweetest boy Evie had ever known had been ripped away, and there was no way to bring him back. She felt fresh tears in her eyes as her emotions hit her again.

"Evie... What can I do to help?" Doug asked gently.

Evie wiped her tears away and managed to give him a sad smile. "Just keep doing this," she replied softly. "Stay with me... Promise you won't leave me..."

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He squeezed her hand as if to reassure her he was really there.

Evie tried to take comfort in his presence. Doug might not be a prince or even a knight in shining armor, but to Evie, he was her hero. He loved her for who she was on the inside and he put up with her when she went a bit crazy designing outfits for everyone in Auradon. He was always supportive, and he'd truly become her rock. She needed him now, and she clung to him more than ever, struggling to find the strength to get through this.

_Be strong, Evie, _she thought. _Frowning causes wrinkles and crying makes your eyes red and puffy. _These didn't seem like good enough reasons to be strong, so she added another. _Carlos hated seeing you cry... He just wanted everyone to be happy. So find a way. For Carlos._

Evie took a deep breath. She _would _find a way to keep going. She'd find the will to laugh again one day. It was what Carlos would have wanted. She could do this.

"Doug?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, Evie?" He replied.

"I love you. In case you didn't know."

Doug turned bright pink at her words, but he smiled at her, too. "Oh... Well, I love you, too, Evie," he replied.

She smiled back, her heart hurting slightly less knowing that someone outside of the VKs genuinely loved her. She curled up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, and found just a little bit of peace.

_**MAL**_  
She had never been so furious in her life. Mal paced back and forth in her room, ranting to her mother, who was still in the form of an itty bitty dragon. "_How _did this happen?!" She demanded. "People our age don't just die for no reason. _Someone _must have killed him! I'll find out who did it! I'll find them, and I'll make them _pay! _And I will _destroy _anyone who gets in my way!"

Her eyes turned bright green like they did when her dark side was threatening to come out and play. Mal embraced the power as it flared inside of her. She'd fix this. She'd make the monsters responsible for this suffer. She would avenge Carlos.

_Carlos._

Her heart broke for a split second as she thought his name. She shook that off, embracing her rage again instead. Rage, she could deal with. When someone hurt the people she loved, Mal evened the score and made them regret it. This time would be no different.

She looked at her mother, who seemed to be encouraging her. "I'll make them pay, Mom. I'll remind them who's daughter I am," she said.

She swore she saw her mother nod her head, but she decided she was imagining things. She grabbed a couple of things and made sure to feed her mother before she left the dorm room. She didn't have her plan fleshed out yet, but that didn't matter. Somehow, she'd find the people responsible for this and handle them.

_**BEN**_  
His parents met him in his dorm room. "Mother... Father..." Ben greeted them.

"Oh, Ben... Come here," his mother said, opening her arms to hug him. Ben allowed it, finding comfort in her embrace like he was a small boy again.

"We're very sorry for your loss, Son," his father said. "Carlos proved to be a wonderful boy."

"Thank you," Ben replied. Then, he sighed. "We have to tell her..." He said.

"Tell who?"

"Cruella. Villain or not, she's still his mother. She deserves a chance to say goodbye to her son."

His parents both tensed at his words. "Ben... We can't just bring a villain off of the Isle-" His father said.

"Yes we _can_," Ben said firmly. "For this... For _this_, we can."

"Cruella De Vil is a _very _dangerous woman. It's far too risky-"

"Honey..." His mother interrupted his father. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Ben's right. If anything ever happened to him, think how devastated we would be. Denying a mother the closure of saying a proper goodbye to her child is simply _too _cruel, no matter what she's done in the past."

His father sighed. "Very well... We will take proper precautions and find a way to safely bring Cruella here long enough to say goodbye... Then we'll send her back," he said.

"Of course," Ben agreed, relieved his father had come around.

"How's Mal taking this?" Her mother asked.

Ben sighed. "She ran off," he admitted. "She told me to look after Evie, who was hysterical, and said she was going to look for Jay... We don't know where he is."

"I'm sure she just needs some time," his mother said reassuringly.

Ben hoped she was right. Everything in him was telling him to find Mal and comfort her, but he knew he couldn't do that. He needed to give Mal some space until she was ready to let him in. Still, staying away when he knew she was in pain was one of the hardest things Ben had ever had to do.

_**JAY**_  
He returned to his room... Because it _was _only his now... with Lonnie by his side. The guards outside of the room informed him that they'd moved Carlos to another location to prepare him for the upcoming funeral. Their words didn't really register.

The room looked the same as it had when he left, but it felt... _wrong._

Jay began looking through some of the photos Carlos kept in the album by his bed. There were pictures of the two of them laughing and goofing around, along with pictures of Carlos with Mal, Evie, Ben, Dude, and especially Jane. Carlos smiled up at him from every page, and for a moment, Jay almost forgot what had happened. When it hit again, Jay slammed the album shut and shoved it back into its drawer.

"Jay..." Lonnie said softly. She touched his arm gently.

"He was _here," _Jay said softly. "And now he's... _Gone."_

He started to cry again then, something he never really did but seemed to be doing a _lot _now. He turned away from Lonnie, ashamed of his weakness.

"It's okay to cry, Jay," she told him. "It's healthy to let it out. You need to release your emotions so you can start to process them."

He sighed. "I couldn't hold them back if I tried right now," he admitted.

Lonnie stood beside him, gently playing with his hair. That soothed him a bit, and he pulled her closer to him. Holding Lonnie was the only comfort he had at that point. He allowed himself to cry until he had no tears left. He ducked into the bathroom to wash his face before coming back out and kissing Lonnie again. Losing himself in her eased his pain significantly, but part of him was still screaming. Kissing his girlfriend wouldn't change anything. When he let her go, his best friend would still be dead. That hurt more than he could fully understand.

_**MAL**_

Her rage was unstoppable now. Mal's eyes glowed bright green as she unleashed her power upon the unsuspecting people of Auradon. A storm began to brew and lightning started striking. She was ready to destroy everyone in her path until she found the ones responsible for causing her this pain. As her power grew, Mal transformed into a dragon and began hovering in the air, glaring at the school she so badly wanted to burn to the ground.

_Destroy it_, she thought. _Destroy this place that has caused you this pain_.

She was surprised when she saw two familiar faces come running toward her. "Mal?" Evie asked in surprise. "Mal, what are you _doing?"_

That seemed like a stupid question. Wasn't it obvious? She was avenging their fallen friend. She let out a breath of fire to answer her, assuming Evie would understand.

Doug let out a cry of surprise. "Evie... Maybe we should get out of here," he suggested.

"No. We can't just leave her like this. She's upset," Evie replied.

Mal set a tree on fire. Evie's eyes went wide. "Mal, stop it!" She cried. She turned to Doug. "Get inside the school. Get as many people as you can to safety... And find Ben and Jay. Please."

"Evie, she's out of control... Come with me," Doug begged her.

"She's my best friend, Doug... I'm _not_ leaving her," Evie said firmly.

Doug sighed before running off to do what she'd said. Mal was relieved to be alone with Evie. Surely, she shared her views and would help her destroy everyone who might have had a hand in what had happened... She'd _obviously_ just gotten Doug out of the way so she could show her true colors.

_Long live evil_, Mal thought with a smile.

"Mal... Come on. I know you're upset, but this isn't the way," Evie said practically.

Mal felt betrayed. She glared at Evie, not understanding why she didn't see the bigger picture. They _had_ to do this. They were the VKs... They were rotten to the core... _No one_ got away with messing with them, and one of them had just been ripped away from the others. She let out a frustrated breath of fire to try to make Evie understand. Evie _had_ to be with her on this, right? Because anyone who wasn't with her was _against_ her, and Mal was going to destroy _anyone_ who _dared_ to stand against her.

Ben came running toward her. "Mal!" He said in horror. "Mal, stop it, _please!"_

Mal sighed. Ben could never understand something like this. He simply came from a different world than the VKs. His world was happy and shiny and everything always worked out in the end. The villains got what they deserved and the heroes got to go on existing in their perfect little bubbles.

She set two more trees on fire, then stared at Ben. He needed to leave. She was hoping he'd understand that. She had so much hatred in her heart. She wasn't the girl he was in love with... Mal had fooled him as much as she'd fooled herself. She could _never_ be that girl. She was rotten... To the core... Just like Evie, Jay, and...

_Carlos._

She shook off the pain that surged through her heart as she thought his name again. _You can't feel that... You can't feel _anything._.. You're empty... Rotten... Your heart _isn't _broken, because you don't _have_ one._

That wasn't true, and she couldn't deny it. Ben was her heart... Evie was her heart... _Carlos_ had been her heart. Carlos had been _everyone's_ heart...

She couldn't handle what those thoughts made her feel, so she set a large patch of grass on fire, making Evie and Ben jump back a few feet. She felt like screaming, and it was coming out in flames.

Suddenly, something hit her straight in the head. Mal was confused until she looked at the source and realized who'd thrown the ball. _Jay_... Surely, Jay of all people would completely understand and join in this assault on Auradon?

"Knock it _off, _Mal!" Jay said firmly. "This isn't going to help."

Mal was furious again. She let out another scream of fire. Jay didn't even flinch. "You want to destroy Auradon? You want to hurt everyone? You'll have to go through _me," _Jay insisted.

It seemed the only one Mal could count on was herself. Maybe her mother had been right about that... She started at her new enemies, knowing she had to destroy them to prove her point... But could she _really_ do it? Could she kill her two remaining best friends and the boy she'd fallen in love with?

She took a deep breath, ready to release more fire and watch them burn before setting all of Auradon ablaze... Then, she let out a sad exhalation of smoke, knowing there was no way she could hurt them, no matter how badly she wanted to embrace her dark side.

"This isn't what he would have wanted," Ben said softly. She looked at him, confused by his gentle tone in the face of her fiery rage. "Mal... Please. Carlos loved Auradon. He wouldn't want you to destroy it... I know you're in pain... It's _okay_ to be in pain. You have to let yourself _feel_ it, Mal. It's the only way you're going to get through this."

_I don't_ want _to feel it,_ she thought. _I can't... I can't let this be true... Because then... Then he'll_ really _be gone._

"Mal... We're _all _in pain," Evie said gently. "We're _all_ going to miss him... But destroying everything won't bring him back." She had tears in her eyes, but she kept her voice steady.

_I can't do this, _she thought. _I'm not strong enough. Evie's stronger... And Jay... And Ben... I'm not strong enough for this!_

"Remember how you stopped me from beating up that wall earlier?" Jay asked. "This is your wall, Mal. And it's _my_ turn to stop _you." _He offered her a small smile.

Mal could see the pain in Jay's eyes... Evie's eyes were full of desperation... And Ben's eyes were filled with love, even in her darkest hour. Suddenly, everything hit her. Mal dropped from her dragon form, landing on her feet and immediately sinking to her knees as her human body began to shake violently. She was sobbing harder than she'd ever thought possible. Everything inside of her hurt. She couldn't breathe as the tears poured out of her. She couldn't figure out how to make it stop.

Three sets of arms wrapped around her. Evie had reached her first, and she was crying right along with Mal now. Jay was trying to hold himself together, but tears began to fall down his cheeks as well. And Ben... Ben stood strong, but as she looked into his eyes, she saw that even he had tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Mal... We _all_ loved him. Carlos may have started off as a kid I brought over from the Isle, but he became family to me... And to _everyone_ in Auradon," Ben said soothingly.

"I'm sorry..." Mal whispered.

"It's okay," Ben promised. "Not all of us can turn into dragons and breathe fire, but trust me... We all understand the sentiment."

"I wanted to destroy everything, too," Jay said. "The anger makes sense, and it hurts a lot less than... Well, than _this_."

"I thought someone must have killed him... That he'd been cursed or poisoned or something... Because healthy kids don't just die in their sleep," Mal whispered.

"Fairy Godmother said it was natural causes," Ben said gently. "Sometimes, as horrible as it is, things like this just happen."

"But _why?_ Why Carlos? Why not me? I've done so many awful things... Carlos didn't deserve this."

"It doesn't work that way, Mal," Fairy Godmother said softly as she appeared in front of them. She looked at the damage to the lawn, but didn't comment on it. Mal could see her mentally filing that away for later. "When it's someone's time to leave this world, it doesn't matter if they were the worst person alive or the very best."

"Fairy Godmother..." Mal said softly. "Does it ever stop hurting?"

Fairy Godmother paused thoughtfully. "Time will help you process your grief, but it won't ever fully go away. You'll be hit with this loss at random moments, when something happens that makes you think of him and realize he's not there. As you begin to let go of the pain, those memories won't hurt as much, but you're always going to miss him."

Mal nodded. "So this is always going to suck," she said.

Fairy Godmother didn't correct her. Instead, she said, "Yes, Mal. It's always going to... be an unfortunate truth." She offered her a sad smile. "But I believe that our loved ones never fully leave us. He'll live on in each of our memories, and he will always be a part of you."

"But we still have each other," Evie said softly. "We'll get through this together."

"Evie's right. You need your friends more than ever in times like these," Fairy Godmother said.

Mal took a deep breath. She didn't exhale flames this time. "Thanks, Guys... For stopping me from burning down the one place where he was happy."

"Anytime," Jay said with a smirk.

"Come on, Mal," Ben said. "Let's go back inside. You should rest."

She didn't protest. She was too exhausted. She simply followed the only people who could fully understand her grief back into the school and tried to take comfort in the fact that she wasn't alone.

_**THE NEXT DAY.**_

_**JANE**_

She had never known a person could hurt so badly. Every breath she took reminded her that Carlos was gone. She'd loved him, and she hadn't even fully understood how deeply until she'd lost him. _She'd lost him._

Ben had worked with her mother and his parents to quickly arrange the funeral. Jane stood in the hall they'd rented for the occasion in the beautiful navy blue dress Carlos had liked so much on her. She was crying as she stood beside his casket and looked down at his face. He looked so peaceful, like he had simply fallen asleep. She touched his hand and felt her knees give out.

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and steadied her. Jane looked up, surprised to see Lonnie standing there. "I've got you," she said softly.

Jane nodded. "Thanks," she replied.

"You're not alone, Jane. Remember that, okay? We're all here if you need to talk," Lonnie said.

Jane looked out at the faces of everyone else who'd come to the funeral. Everyone from the school was there, as were most of the citizens of Auradon. Nearly everyone was crying. It surprised her to see tears even in the eyes of Chad Charming. Although he'd interacted with Carlos a lot, they hadn't exactly been friends.

"Chad... Are you okay?" Jane asked as she slowly approached him.

"I... I mean... It's just..." Chad rambled.

"I know. It's awful," Jane said.

"He was a good guy, you know? I messed around with his stuff all the time, but he was still pretty cool to me... A lot of people don't really put up with me when I'm not-so _Charming._.. But he always did. And... And he was _our_ age, Jane. I don't understand how he could just be... Well... You know?" He sighed. "I don't even know if I should be here. I sort of think we were friends, but I'm not sure he actually liked me, and maybe I should just hide in the back with my parents, but..."

"Chad... I think he'd be okay with you being here," Jane said.

"You do?" She saw something in his eyes then, like a mixture of relief and genuine grief. Chad might be an idiot, but even he wasn't immune to human emotions.

"I do," she promised him. "Carlos believed in giving people second chances."

Chad nodded before heading back to his parents. Jane knew she was right. Carlos would have appreciated that Chad actually cared on some level. She sighed, looking around at everyone else again.

Ben sat at the front of the room with his parents. Her mother stood nearby, trying to offer comfort to everyone who needed it. Mal, Evie, and Jay sat up front, too, and that was where Jane would be if she could bring herself to sit down. Instead, she kept walking around the room, needing to keep moving so her grief didn't completely overwhelm her.

Suddenly, someone came in surrounded by several guards. Her distinctive outfit made it clear who she was. A hush fell over the room as several people cowered in fear. Jane might have done the same, but this woman did not seem to want to hurt anyone. She was focused entirely on the coffin.

"Oh, Carlos..." She said softly. "I had much higher hopes for you..."

Jane approached her. Her mother seemed to want to stop her, but she shook her head to make it clear she didn't want her to interfere. "Ms. De Vil..." She said softly.

The infamous Cruella De Vil turned to look at her in surprise. "Jane," she said.

Jane was stunned. "You know who I am?" She asked.

"Of course I do. On the rare occasion my son willingly communicated with me, you were all he would talk about." She looked her over skeptically before shrugging. "I suppose you're pretty enough. I'll say this... I appreciate that you had the guts to approach me."

"I loved your son very much, Ms. De Vil," Jane told her honestly. "And I think he'd be glad that you were here today."

"Call me Cruella, Jane," Cruella said. "And thanks for the kind words, but I'm sure you're wrong. My son hated me."

"Actually, he was very loyal to you... He just hated that you were so, well... _Cruel._" Jane squeaked as the word escaped, realizing she probably shouldn't have said that.

Cruella actually laughed. "You know... I _like_ you, Jane," she said. "Even with how terrified of me you clearly are, you're still trying to make me feel better. You may be awkward, but you're a nice girl. Normally, that would repulse me, but... Well, I'm glad Carlos found you. He was never meant to be a villain. It's probably better he left, even if it made me angry when he turned on the Isle."

"Thank you," Jane managed to say.

Cruella nodded. Then, she ruffled her son's hair slightly with her fingers. She proceeded to pull out the last thing Jane had expected and place it in the coffin, tucking it snugly beside Carlos. It was a very beat up, tiny stuffed dalmatian. "Now, Baby... Be a good dog and watch over my _other_ baby," she said softly. With that, she turned around and looked at the security officers. "Alright, Boys. Take me away," she said grandly.

Jane was fairly certain that the guards didn't see the single tear that slid down Cruella's cheek as they led her out of the building to take her back to the Isle of the Lost.

Jane looked down at Carlos and kissed his forehead. "I love you," she whispered. "Always." It took everything she had to stand up straight and walk toward her seat.

Her mother came over and began to stroke her hair soothingly. "That was a very brave thing you just did, my precious one," she said softly. "I'm proud of you for showing a woman like that such kindness."

Jane nodded, not saying anything. When her mother was about to walk away, Jane grabbed her hand. "Mom... I love you," she told her.

Her mother smiled at her. "I know that, little one... I love you, too." She kissed the top of her head before Jane let her go so she could walk away.

Suddenly, Dude came hurrying over to her. He jumped into her lap. "Oh! Oh, my... Hi, Dude," she said in surprise.

"He told me to watch out for you like I watched out for him," Dude said.

Jane stared at Dude in shock. "What did you just say?" She asked softly.

"I'm _your_ dog now, Jane... If you'll have me. Carlos wants us to take care of each other."

Jane felt fresh tears in her eyes. "Of course," she said. She began to pet the dog, completely certain that somehow, Carlos had indeed sent him to her.

"Are you okay, Jane?" Mal asked.

Jane nodded. "I think so," she said. Somehow, even in her grief, she felt slightly at peace with things. She missed Carlos with everything she had, but she knew that he was with her now. That brought a comfort she hadn't expected to ever feel. Dude's words had healed the slightest piece of her broken heart, and Jane knew that she would find a way to get through this. Dude needed her now. She would be strong. She would make Carlos proud.

_**EVIE **_

She was really trying not to cry so much, but it was hard. Seeing Cruella had been strange, and she'd wanted to approach her, but with all of the guards surrounding her, it hadn't seemed like a good idea. Besides, Evie didn't know what she would have said to the woman. She'd never been kind to Carlos. She'd been an awful mother, in fact... But in her own way, Evie supposed that Cruella did care about her son.

Now, the eulogies were beginning, and Evie couldn't focus on Cruella anymore. She listened as, one by one, the people of Auradon paid tribute to Carlos. It was hard, but it warmed her heart a bit to realize just how many people had come to love him. Ben's parents and Fairy Godmother all made lovely speeches about how wonderful Carlos had proven to be. The Tourney coach gave a very moving speech about how, even though Carlos was remarkably unathletic, he poured his heart and soul into cheering his team on and trying to help them win. The rest of the team offered up words of their own. Chad gave an awkward but nice speech about his own memories of Carlos and how he was so "generous" with his awesome 3D printer.

Jane tried to speak and ended up bursting into tears early into things. Dude ran to her side to comfort her. She picked him up and cried into his fur. Fairy Godmother led her back to her seat. Lonnie took over, reading the rest of what Jane had written down and adding some thoughts of her own.

Then, it was Evie's turn. She stood up and took a deep breath before walking to the podium. "Carlos... I still can't believe this is real," Evie began. "You were one of the best friends anyone could ever have, and I was lucky enough to have you in my life for as long as I can remember. You always did the goofiest things, and you were constantly making us laugh in a place where laughter was a pretty foreign concept... The Isle was a tough place to grow up, but because I had you, I found strength. You were our light in the darkness... And I loved you _so_ much for that. I know you're watching over us now, and I know what you're thinking... Evie, you smeared your mascara! Thanks, I'll go fix it in a second." She smiled slightly, thinking of the stunned expression he'd wear on his face at her words if he were standing there. "I'm _really_ going to miss you, Carlos... Thanks for everything." She wiped a few tears away before taking a deep breath, pulling out her magic mirror, and examining her messy face before saying, "Oh wow, that really _is_ pretty awful. Excuse me." She offered everyone a confident smile that didn't match how she was feeling and walked back to her seat so she could fix her face up.

As she smiled sadly at her reflection, she swore she caught a glimpse of Carlos smiling behind her.

_**JAY**_

This was literally the hardest thing Jay had ever had to do. He wasn't great with speeches in general. Jay wasn't much of a talker. Still, he owed it to Carlos to try. He stood at the podium, taking his turn to pay his respects.

"Hey, Man..." Jay began, looking at the coffin. He looked at the crowd and didn't know what to say, so he just started to ramble. "You know, I always tried to look out for him, even though he was a pain in the butt at times... He was like my annoying kid brother. I did everything I could to make sure he didn't get into any trouble I couldn't get him out of. We did _everything_ together... He was kind of wimpy, but that was okay, because whenever I needed a friend, I knew he'd have my back in a second. Even if he was scared out of his mind, he'd follow me into the craziest situations. He was braver than I ever gave him credit for, and... And I should have told him that, but I just kind of picked on him and made fun of him, because that's how the Isle kids rolled... But if anyone _else _ever tried that, I'd _destroy _them! _Slaughter_ them where they stood! _No one_ picked on my boy except _me_! You got that? No one!" He was shaking as his emotions suddenly hit him.

"I let him down..." He said softly. "I didn't realize anything was wrong... And maybe if I'd woken up sooner or not slept at all, I would have known he needed help... Maybe I could have saved him..."

"Jay..." Fairy Godmother said softly. "You mustn't blame yourself."

"But he _needed_ me! And I wasn't there for him!"

"There was nothing you could do." Fairy Godmother looked at him with sympathy and pity in her eyes. He hated the pity part.

"Forget it. It's fine. I'm fine," Jay said.

"You're not fine. None of us are right now... But that's okay, Jay. That's why we're here... To grieve together, and find comfort in remembering him."

He felt tears in his eyes. He punched the podium as a reflex. Mal was suddenly beside him. She shook her head. "Jay, the podium didn't do anything to you," she said gently.

Jay sighed. She was right. He couldn't hold back a few of the tears. Mal gave him a tight hug. "It's _not_ your fault," she told him. "It's _no one's_ fault."

"You wouldn't lie to me, right?" Jay asked softly.

"Of course not. Especially not about this."

He nodded. "Thanks, Mal. I needed to hear that."

"I know you did. Now, go sit down. It's my turn."

Jay walked away and sat beside Evie, who'd finally stopped crying. They watched Mal together, waiting to see if she'd handle this with dignity and grace like a future queen should or if she'd turn into a dragon again and set everyone on fire. Either way, this should be interesting.

_**MAL**_

She'd gotten used to public speaking. As Ben's girlfriend and future queen, it was part of her job. Still, this wasn't going to be an easy speech to give.

Mal looked out at the crowd in the room and took a deep breath. "Okay, first, can I just say how much this absolutely sucks?" She asked. It might not be very queen-like, but she needed to get that out of her system.

Several people nodded in agreement. A few people laughed sadly. Mal was encouraged by their reaction and by the fact that no one chastised her for her choice of words.

"Carlos De Vil was the sweetest, funniest, best person I've ever met," Mal began. "He never sought out trouble or violence, despite being from the Isle. He always had an encouraging word or smile for anyone who needed it, and he was..." She shook her head as her voice cracked. "He was _really_ special to me."

She looked at the coffin and had to look away. She wanted to seek the comfort of her rage, but she knew she couldn't do that. She had to be strong, for Evie and Jay, and for Jane, and for Ben, and for the entire Kingdom of Auradon. She could do this. She owed it to Carlos.

"There will _never_ be another person like Carlos. He loved Auradon so much. He loved the people, the friends he made... He loved Dude, which was a pretty major accomplishment because before he came here, Carlos was actually _terrified_ of dogs." She found herself laughing at the memory of the way Carlos would run the second someone so much as mentioned a dog, yet he'd come to love Dude so much that he actually stood up to his mother for him. As Mal laughed, she stopped crying, and it felt strange. Was it _wrong_ to find humor in a moment like this? Was she a horrible person?

"I'm sorry," she said. "I probably shouldn't be laughing, but... But I think he'd _want_ me to. What made Carlos the happiest was seeing his friends happy. So, be sad... But not_ too_ sad. Mourn his loss... But smile at his memory. Process his death... But celebrate his life. And always... _Always _find a reason to laugh. Find what makes you happy and embrace it... He wouldn't want us to stop living our lives just because he's gone... Remember him, and smile. _That _is what he'd want, and we owe it to him to try."

Ben smiled at her from his seat. She could tell he was proud of her. She smiled back and said, "We love you, Carlos. Forever. Thank you for bringing so much love into our lives." She cast a final look at the coffin and took a deep breath before heading back to her seat.

It was Ben's turn. His eulogy would be the last one, and he stood at the podium now looking out at the crowd. Mal offered him an encouraging smile. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I stand here today with incredible grief in my heart," Ben began. "When I first decided to bring children from the Isle to Auradon, Carlos seemed like an excellent candidate. He was rough around the edges... _Very_ rough, actually... But all of them were in one way or another. Still, I'd made a decision to try to help these children, and I intended to see it through, no matter how hard it might be. Since Carlos struggled with sports, I offered to help him learn some skills. I never expected that to be what bonded us, but... Well, the day we started training was the day that Carlos saw a dog in person for the first time. When he took off running, I realized he was terrified and hurried after him. I encouraged him to try to give Dude a chance, and they ended up bonding in a way I hadn't expected. That was the first time that I saw the _real_ Carlos De Vil. He was gentle, and nurturing, and he was really starved for affection. Dude gave him something he'd never had before, and watching the two of them bond was incredible for me. Carlos, more than any of the others, made me realize I'd made the right choice in giving these kids a chance. He was the first one who dropped his walls around me and made me realize that they really _were_ just ordinary kids. I am so grateful to him for letting me in. I was blessed to know him, and as he grew to trust all of us here in Auradon, his ability to love others and make people happy truly impressed me. He became an indispensable part of the community. In many ways, Carlos De Vil truly became the heart of Auradon. We were all blessed to know him, and I promise that we will _always_ honor his memory." He looked at the coffin before looking at everyone in the room again. "Thank you," he finished before stepping down and walking back to his seat.

Mal hugged him. "That was a great speech," she told him. "Thank you for saying all of that."

"I meant every word," Ben promised.

"I know." She gave him a quick kiss as people began to leave the funeral. Then, she looked at Fairy Godmother and asked, "So, what happens now?"

"Well, we're all going to the dining hall for a banquet in honor of Carlos," Fairy Godmother said.

"Right... I know that much," Mal replied. "But... What about after that?"

Fairy Godmother put a comforting hand on Mal's shoulder. "We resume living, Mal... The very best that we can. Just like you said."

Mal nodded. "Okay," she said. "Come on, guys... Let's go get something to eat." She led her friends to the dining hall. They sat together and tried to enjoy the food placed before them, even if it seemed impossible.

Slowly, something subtle seemed to change. The more everyone relaxed, the more they began to talk. They shared stories of their favorite memories of Carlos and talked about him a little bit easier. It still hurt, but not the way that it had, and the more they talked, the funnier the stories got. Soon, everyone was smiling and laughing as they remembered the times they'd shared. Mal understood now what Fairy Godmother had meant. Things would never be the same, but together, they would find a new "normal," and somehow, they would find a way to be okay.

_I love you, Carlos,_ she thought. _We'll never forget you. And if you're watching, I hope you're laughing with us._


End file.
